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Staff & Board

Our mission, promoting the arts in our community, reflects the Board's desire to expand our support of the arts, and continue to promote a high quality yearly festival with a commitment to produce an outstanding fine art show.

In it’s 46th year, the Festival is one of the oldest and largest in the Northwest, with a rich history. Since the early 60’s the Festival has been building a Permanent Collection, which includes pieces from many prestigious Northwest artists.

Festival Staff

The Festival has a Director with a staff of four who work part time year round with the Board and the public to ensure that things run smoothly and maintain a quality edge.

Joan Tezak – Joan works under Event Productions, and has been the Festival director since 1992. She works with the other staff and board in many capacities to ensure that the Festival runs smoothly and efficiently. In addition to dealing with the many administrative aspects of the Festival, she puts out the major fires and sets a positive and visionary tone for the Festival.

Mary Leone – Mary is the front point communication person in the Festival office as well as the Fine Art and Volunteer Coordinator. She screens and handles vendor questions and applications, communicates and works behind the scenes with the Art at the Port team, and oversees the army of Festival volunteers.

Rita James – Rita is our Public Relations and Youth Coordinator. It is her job to establish and maintain sponsor partnerships, handle Festival publicity and advertising, and plan and oversee the Festival Youth Area. You might spot her during the Festival taking photos or running from one place to another.

Don Morton – Don is our resident Webmaster and computer expert. He maintains our award winning web site and helps us evolve technologically to meet the changing demands of our business. We increasingly look to Don to streamline how we communicate and increase our efficiency through the use of technology.

Earl Hillis – Earl is a local retired CPA who handles Festival finances. He works closely with the director in developing the yearly budget and making sure the Board has accurate financial reports. He’s the last one to leave as the Festival winds down and revenues are tabulated.

Kerry Allen - Though not technically staff, Kerry has become part of the office team through her regular volunteering schedule. Able and willing to help as needed and with a positive attitude, Kerry exemplifies the perfect volunteer.

Awards

The Festival has received numerous awards:

IFEA - International Festival and Events Association Pinnacle Awards – Grand Pinnacle for best overall promotional programming chosen from submissions around the world, gold for best web site, gold for Festival guide, silver for best newsletter.

WFEA - Washington Festival and Events Association Summit Awards – gold award for overall promotions, gold award for best Festival web site.

WNPA - Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Awards – first and second place for Festival guide (special supplement) content and cover designs.

Web Site

Our web site was designed several years ago by How It Works and has been updated and maintained by our webmaster Don Morton. Through the technical efforts of Don and the creative writing and photography of Rita James, we are constantly updating the site. We’d also like to thank Richard Mitlyng for his photographic contributions.

We welcome any comments and suggestions for building a better site for our vendors and festival participants.

Our Board of Directors

Jack Darnton - Jack is the President of the Board. He joined the board in 2003 after having worked closely with the Festival in his role as editor of the Anacortes American where he’s helped promote the Festival and produce the award winning Festival guide. He brings with him a history of civic involvement and desire to help facilitate relationship-building community interactions.

Lanny Bergner – Lanny, Board Vice-President, is a nationally known sculptor, whose work is in public displays throughout the world. With his professional expertise, he serves as co-chair of the Festival Fine Art Committee, overseeing the hanging and administration of the Art at the Port. Visit Lanny's web site.

Michele Bruce – Michele is currently the Board Secretary, after retiring as President. She is a life-long Skagit County resident and is involved in the literary arts as a Library Para-educator at Fidalgo Elementary School. She has helped develop the Festival volunteer program and works tirelessly throughout the Festival.

Don de Llamas – Don is a professional painter whose work is widely collected, and an "I've got an idea" person on the board. He works diligently on the Festival Fine Art Committee lending a creative eye and broad vision to the Art at the Port exhibition, often challenging the board to think outside the box.

John Hachey –John Hachey is new Board member with an impressive business and management background. He is the Director of Operations and Facilities for the Port of Anacortes, where he oversees strategic planning and budgeting and project management. Added to a background and interest in the arts, he brings a well-rounded perspective to the Festival.

Richard Mitlyng – Richard wears several Festival hats. In addition to having served on the board for many years, he is also the Production Coordinator of the Festival. He is a teacher at Mt. Erie School, giving him the organizational skills to manage the chaos and complexity of the physical set-up and take-down of the Festival. He’s also a darned good ukulele player.

Susan Parke – Susan Parke joined the Festival board in 2007. She brings with her extensive fine art experience including Director and Curator of the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner. A longtime Anacortes resident, Susan is in touch with both the community and regional fine artists, making her a valuable board resource.

Warren Tessler –Warren Tessler is the owner of La Vie En Rose French Bakery in Anacortes and Bellingham, and a new Board member in 2007. As a downtown business owner, his Festival relationship offers a unique perspective; with history in the non-profit sector, he brings valuable experience in the various facets of the non-profit industry.